1.25.2011

Nalhati - Shakti Peetha up close

Far away in remote northern Bengal, lost in the rural landscape is a small shrine to the Mother. While the representation is that of Kali Ma, the potency of the shrine hints at the ancient Shakti Peetha of Ma Sati. Indeed, not too far away from the sacred Siddha Peeth of Tarapith is the sacred shrine of Ma Nalhateshwari, at Nalhati.

Nalhati, buried in her potency, is a small temple surrounded by a village. The main temple of Nalhati rests atop a small hill and within it, draped in hibiscus flowers and red sindur is the sacred rock of power. The name of Nalhati comes from the word "Nal" which refers to the great Mother's throat that fell here when Sati's body was destroyed by Vishnu's discus. Hence this temple houses the form of Ma Nalhateshwari.

The charm of Nalhati is the peace and the sheer lack of corruption. The priests are simple and do not mind devotees taking photographs of the Great Mother's shrine. There is Tantrik presence at this shrine for everything hints towards Kali Ma and Shiva Bhairava. The Bali peeth at the foot of this temple stands in powerful silence and in brilliant red demanding more blood for the Mother.

But what would the landscape of Nalhati have looked like in the ancient days. How could anyone have identified the potency of this sacred earth? Nalhati appears to have been shrouded in dense jungle along the river side and at the peak of this low hill stands this rock, possibly the fossil of the Great Ma's throat. Reflecting back on the appearance of this shrine, it is a wondrous thought that apparently a stone could command such power.

When we stand at the entrance of the main shrine, its the discovery of this form that moves the heart first. Closer observation brings in the familiarity of the rules and the iconography. The red color, the long hair, the red dress that always makes the mother look like a new bride, the Trishul and the hibiscus flowers at her divine silver feet, all these proclaim the written laws for the Goddess in the sacred text. And hence the worship is defined, that this rock should be decorated as the head of the Goddess is the rule applied, that she was most probably in ughra form brings on the features of Kali Ma. The fire rises into the air and arti is performed, the divine vision to see the Mother is granted in the light of the flames.

While these are the familiar rules that are asserted on this stone, while the acts of divine worship are performed to seek her blessings in the method known to us, while fire and water create the sacred path to the feeble offerings we make in half hearts, how does a simple devotee touch the potency of this great shrine when we stand up so close to it in its presence?

Why do we take it for granted that the only method to get access to the divine are "acts" of worship and our mind and heart hardly have a role to play in it because the larger looming presence of time [Kala] defines the limit of our stay in her presence? While I turn my head again to the door, descending the steps of this hill, I just wondered what I really achieved after coming this far. Is this enough or if life, rules, time and family would allow, could I have stayed here longer? And if I did, how would it have made a difference to me if I had to take a dive into my spiritual self?

What am I missing that makes this trip fulfilling in the perspective of having met the divine Mother, but leaves a lacunae in my heart for hardly having spent any time with her? The divine Mother at Nalhati, Tarapith and Kalighat are as close as we can get to the sacred rock that governs the spiritual world we live in. And yet, as we rubbish away all the noise and corruption, and watch her in silence... am quite speechless thinking what next?

As the divine flames rise and the bells ring in my heart, reverberating within the hollow of my inner self, Oh Ma, I ask for forgiveness towards my shattering ignorance of not being able to recognize your potent presence.

6 comments:

Ultimately it is a matter of finding 'MA' in one's Mansarovar like 'man' or mind, the perennial supllier of Ganga water-like pure thoughts! It is said that if you believe, it is God, otherwise a piece of stone!

Hi Bart, Ancient Hindus described the process of evolution of 'life' through the story of Vishnu, Nadbindu (formless like a point, or energy form), who ever remains in Yognidra, that is, a superconscious state, reclined on the bed made by Sheshnag, ie, the balance energy left after creation of the apparent material universe with sound energy 'Om', to (Gangadhar and Chandrashekhar, relating Him to Moon) Shiva, ie, our Earth as it appears today, although superficially changing with time!

The Hindu mythological story related to emergence of Himalayas from the womb of earth in the north of Jambudweep, the island that India in the beginning was, (Ardhnarishwar Shiva in the beginning?); evolution of moon from earth itself and becoming its satelite (second marriage of Shiva with daughter of Himalaya Parvati and another form of Sati Herself?); presence of molten rocks close to the surface of earth in the vicinity of Himalayas rendering that region relatively more earthquake prone and occurrence of landslides off and on; and so on, is also communicated through the 'suicide of Sati in a sacred fire'...And with the concept of models, Mahashiva referring to our Solar system, and Shiva our earth as well, the essence of the formless infinite universal void (Satyam Shivam Sunderam), and also human form (made from permutations and combinations of essences of selected members of our solar system), all physical forms made from the 'panchtatva', the five basic elements or 'panchbhoota' who continue to work (for Bhootnath), Sky, earth, fire, water and air from the beginning...

It is believed that Vishnu the supreme energy in physical form (Shiva the immortal) is represented by the Himalayan range that trends from west to east and as it is believed about human form to be represented by eight energy centres (asht chakra or 'ashtbhujdhari Ma Durga'), similrly these energy centres are believed to exist along the Himalayan range with mooladhar or basic centre present in the lower himalayas at the location where Kamakhya Temple in the northeast is situated since time immemorial, which gets reflected in the occurence of the annual southwest monsoon thanks to interaction between the panchtatva where the hot currents of air transport the water laden clouds (the function performed by the trachea in human form) for transformatin of land, the fire ball, to the 'golden bird' that 'India' has come to be known as!

It might also be added that although Vishnu believably (originally) lies west-east, however, as reflected by the apparent present day 23.5 degree tilt in the axis of earth, (Ekpada) Shiva is believed reclining NW-SE direction, such that the ancient wise indicated the solar plexus location at the place where Konark Sun Temple exists on the coastal region of Orissa (and thus the location of the swadhisthan bandh underground, below the sea level(Bay of Bengal, as also reflected by Ganga and Brahmaputra together, in Bangla Desh being called River Padma, the lotus flower that is related with Brahma, as His seat, that evolved from Vishnu's navel, or 'Swadhisthan Bandh', the location where pure heat energy is located, while essence of Mars, the lord of fire, is indicated at the Mooladhar, conveyed through the story of regrafting of elephant head on Parvati son Ganesha, rendering human form being named as Apsmara Purush, or forgetful man, and thus the need to energise the ajana chakra (kundalini jagaran) and lift total information to sahasrara chakra at the head, for 'enlightenment')...

One might also like to consider the ultimate thoughts related to Yogmaya or just Maya in the words of ancient HIndus…

The Yogis,,, derived from the word 'yoga', or fusion of internal energy form ('atma' that is indestructible) with external material body ('shareer', that is destructible),,, indicated 'Maya', or inability to see, or/ rather realise (after due analysis of the innumerable data available) the essence ('Satva'), or the Truth, or 'Satya', of existence of the unique 'Paramatma' (Supreme energy form), Bhootnath Shiva, 'Mahakal', or controller of time,,, for 'we', His models or images, reckon it based on the apparent existence of our solar system and their relative movements,,, while Yogis indicated physical universe/ Earth (‘Jagat’) illusory (thoughts or images within the head of Bhootnath), for He is believably related with time and space zero and, therefore, normally beyond human comprehension, unless one achieved zero or near zero thought, maybe for some limited period only through regular exercise to develop communication with Him internally,,, as the Yogis, as role models, apparently attempted by withdrawing to isolated regions, or a common man, say a fisherman, who accidentally found himself alone in a deserted island and had to face the vagaries of ‘Nature’ single handed for sustenance of his physical body!...

The present day ‘scientists’ also apparently remain cut off from the external world, virtually in their own islands, and do find some truths! And, maybe these also could be helpful as background knowledge to read between the lines the Hindu mythological stories…